New Jersey loses jobs, unemployment rate ticks up for March

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- New federal figures show New Jersey lost more than 6,000 jobs in March and the state's unemployment rate ticked upward to 6.5 percent.

Revised numbers also show that the state added more jobs in February than previously reported.

The preliminary employment data released by the state government on Thursday is culled from two federal government surveys. The surveys don't always agree on whether the state gained or lost jobs, and they rarely agree on the scale.

But for March they told similar stories. The survey of workers found the state lost 6,800 jobs in March. A more complete survey of businesses shows the state lost 6,400 during the month.

Most private-sector industry groups reported losing jobs.

The national unemployment rate for March was 5.5 percent.

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